Brooklyn Pride is a 501(c)(3) wholly volunteer-managed, tax-exempt, non-profit organization working for and on behalf of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Brooklynites and all others who support the struggle for equality of this community. In the spirit of Stonewall, Brooklyn Pride welcomes the participation of all the residents of Brooklyn and the outer boroughs, regardless of age, creed, gender, gender identification, HIV status, national origin, physical, mental or development disability, race religion or sexual orientation.

Ron B., is a nationally known Tina Turner celebrity impersonator and TV host of her own show, "No Boundaries - Up Close & Personal" on Time Warner Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN). Ron B. graces the entertainment stage as host and is a recognized major motion film actor appearing in such recent films such as “Arthur”, ‘Angels In American”, “Man on a Ledge”, “Another Night In Suck City”, and on television, special guests appearances include ‘Law and Order Special Victims Unit”, “Smash”, “30 Rock” and “Sex In The City” to name a few!

Ron B. has led the inaugural march of the Screen Actors Guild National LGBT Committee in the Heritage of Pride produced, “Pride March 2011”, has served as host and Official MC for Brooklyn Pride Parade and for many years has performed her energetic show for the millions who attend Pride festivals across the nation. As an accomplished theater actor, Ron B. has made appearances in a series of staged short plays written by notable playwright Lawrence Schwabacher on the Journey’s of women particularly playing a Transgendered woman whom embraces whom she really is. Always one to support New York area red carpet mega-events, just recently Ron B gave a command performance for the Bronx Pride Center Gala held at Slate and performed for Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz at the kick off of Brooklyn Pride at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Noted performances included supporting GRIOT Circle and SAGE and nightclub appearances at the legendary Ice Palace for “The Fire Island Invasion”.

A Staten Island native, Ron B. in using her celebrity in a positive light, strives to serve as an advocate to ensure equality across the board for the LGBT Community and to provide a positive role model for Transgendered people, in hopes to make inroads toward equality and understanding. Ron B. states, “I am most proud as a firm supporter of equal opportunities for my Transgendered brothers and sisters, to have been selected to sit on the distinguished LGBT Panel held at Pace University along side Kate McDonough, lead organizer of the Empire State Pride Agenda. Selected to impart in "Gender in the Binary" was a defining moment for me. My message is simply that, “There are No Boundaries if you believe in yourself.”

Visit Ron B. on facebook or in person at the Brooklyn LGBT Pride Twilight Parade on Saturday, June 9th. The fun kicks off at 7:30 pm til 9:30 pm along 5th Avenue continuing down Union Street, with the reviewing stand at 4th Street and 5th Avenue.

About Vanessa Valtre

Vanessa Valtre has been entertaining audiences in the Tri-State area for almost 13 years. What started out as a Halloween joke has now made her a very well respected entertainer with a plethora of attributes. As a former Ms. Big Apple and Miss Tri-States, she now hosts her own show at the Albatross Bar in Astoria and Drag-oke. in TJ's one's every other month. Though life has thrown her a couple of curve balls, her high resiliency factor has helped her maintain a respectful, humble and professional outlook in her work. Now participating in her second year at NYC PRIDEFEST, she’s been given the honor to be one of the hostesses at several PRIDEFEST Celebration in New York City and other pride events .

May 23, 2012

It's no secret that I like/love dance music - and there are a quite a number of New York based DJs that I am completely devoted to - Chauncey Dandridge, Chris Padilla, Susan Morabito, Randy Bettis, DJ Baker, Robbie Leslie, Lina, Rich King, Phillip Kimball - to name just a few will get me out of my self-imposed apartment/cave dwelling stupor.

Over the past 12/15 years or so, I've drooled everytime I went out to the clubs and heard DJ's Razor and Guido's "Do It Again". I first heard it at a Black Party and it made such a strong impression that anytime I've heard it since, I'm instantly taken back to that five/ten minutes I first experienced it (and btw I heard it while I was performing up on stage with a couple other porn stars and while I can't remember exactly what I was doing - wink- I do remember thinking 'this is one of the most amazing moments of my life" and when, in subsequent years I've felt "what the hell am I doing with my life?" I think back to moments like that and go "well, yeah for moments like that, it's been worth it".

That's pretty powerful stuff.

But music is. Like Morabito spinning on the Intrepid back in 1994 is still a benchmark that I judge every other party on - which isn't completely fair since not only was Susan's music spot on and incredibly joyful that night - and no one can touch her as far as selection, mood and transitions when she's on, but I was also surrounded by three hot gay couples from the DC area who decided that I was their "it" guy that night.. I didn't go home with any of them, but the attention was pretty awesome.. ah to be 30 again! LOL :)

Anyway, one of my newest favorite songs, "Brokenhearted" by Karmin has just gotten the Razor & Guido treatment and what makes it even better, is that I can hear faint echoes of "Do It Again" --- which makes me very very happy. :)

Yesterday was a totally crappy day where I openly said to the sky ala Griffin Dunne in AFTER HOURS, "what do you WANT from me??" but Karmin and R&G made it a little better today. Thanks! :)

First the Karmin remix followed by the (audio only) "Do It Again" .. enjoy!

Razor & Guido will appear in Philadelphia this Friday May 25th at FriGAYS at the Sumo Lounge 1224 Chestnut Street.

Lately it seems as though many of my pals are facing their careers head-on and I couldn't be happier. Whether it's that my friend Kylie Edmond's Rock and Rawhide is now an official non-profit or that Molly Pope is making numerous appearances all over town, it's great when my artist friends are making it happen for themselves!

Add to this list the amazing n awesome Roger Yolanda Mapes (my last guest on The Will Clark Show before we moved to The Rtiz) -- he has put together the first installment of his newest creation, a drag gospel show! And it's playing one more night - Sunday June 3rd at 6:30pm at the Duplex.

The past two Sunday's Roger has been knocking it out of the park with a tune filled show featuring real gospel numbers Roger sings himself while accompianied by guitar, cello and two awesome backup singers as well as the incredible Kenneth Gartman on piano - this is two parts gospel, two parts cabaret mixed together for a delightful evening's aural confection.

Plus, there are short/bite-sized homilies on getting a better life - a product of Roger's own ministry - he graduated recently from the One Spirit Institute here in New York.

Delightfully drected by Rev. Shawn Moniger, it's a testament to the sincerity of Roger's performance that songs focusing on God don't feel campy just because Roger is dressed up in drag (and quite fabulously I might add). Plus, hey Lucie Arnaz was in the audience to give the evening a bit more fabulousness than it already had. :)

May 21, 2012

First off I want to thank drag queen extraordinaire Dallas DuBois and author Justin Luke (who's book, Gulliver Takes Manhattan, is out now) for being my guinea pigs, er my first brave guests at the new location on Thursday April 19th. And thanks too to our first beneficiary - the incredible Cheer New York crew who always bring a sense of occasion with them.

Truth to tell, it hardly seems as though that was nearly six weeks ago now as I write this on a rainy Monday.... Time seemed to sort of slow down and speed up simultaneously as soon as the move to The Ritz got underway in earnest and there were a couple weeks in there where it seemed as though only two or three hours elapsed between shows..... thankfully it's all evening out now and I can go back to the gym and back to eating a full meal or two a day... (knock on wood)

Yes, I will readily admit that the move was a tad more complicated and involved than I expected but after a few weeks, we're doing well and it allows us a lot of room to expand. We're still looking how to make the most of the room.... but we're getting there.

You can click here to see the free gallery of images from our first night - thanks to AB and Chauncey for coming along for the ride in the new space... we've had a lot of changes these past couple months but we're hanging in there and throwing a weekly party that you are invited to! (and thanks to AB for continuing to take pretty awesome pics for us!) :)

Good morning peeps - rainin cats n dogs outside here in NYC but I guess we could use the rain after an incredibly dry winter. But really.. ugh... although it does make staying in getting work done that much more tolerable!

Today I'm posting singer Derek Bishop's latest music video "Take Him Away" - this is a kind of fun, wish-fullfilment video - something we'd all like to do with a difficult party guest.

It's a bouncey little tune and frankly while the subject matter is grim, it might be just the thing for a dreary Monday in New York!

May 20, 2012

Good afternoon peeps! For those of us in New York, today was yet another beautiful summer day - even if yes, technically summer is a month away (and by the way June 21 which is Midsummer's Day is also our friend Kylie Edmond's birthday, more on that in the coming weeks).

Speaking of summer, the weekly Sea Tea party aboard the Queen of Hearts gets going in just a month - on Saturday June 23rd and Sunday June 24th as the Sea Tea revs up it's engines for another season of sailin', dancin' and lots of fundraisin throughout the summer.

For the 9th year in a row, the Bad Boys will be sailing - featuring Michael Brandon and DJ Jonny Mack along with a cast of hotties who'll join us to again raise funds for our friends over at Braking the Cycle! :)

This year you can save tons of cash by buying a season VIP pass for the summer but only until June 1st - so you have about 10 days to get it together and pony up the $99 that'll get you into a full season's worth of parties. If you go to just five parties over the summer, you've more than made back that investment and with the VIP you never have to worry about getting turned away at the door again.

And best of all, with the VIP pass, you can also bring a friend. So really this is an incredible value. 16 parties for a fraction of the cost. Hurry though, supplies are limited.

Meanwhile, full lineup for the Bad Boys Sea Tea is coming in the next few weeks...but just go ahead and buy your tickets now (last year we sold out).

May 19, 2012

My love/hate relationship with NBC'sSmash is well known on Facebook after the show ends on Monday nights. To wit - I somehow love my hate for the show and cannot peel my eyes away even though I spend every moment watching saying "that is ridiculous", "that would never happen" and my favorite "did someone drop (fill in the blank) on their head when they were a baby because they are cray cray".

Perhaps, fortunately, the music on the show is actually pretty good and the Marilyn musical has some memorable music. The best music of the season though was Karen's dream sequence in which she imagined her and her boyfriend (and all the people she knows in the production) in a big colorful Bollywood-style production number. Naturally I haven't been able to get it out of my head over the past couple days; it fights what feels like a never-ending battle for dominance as my earworm with Colton Ford's latest that he performed at Bingo Thursday night at the Ritz.

I couldn't find the Bollywood number on You Tube (WTF? ) but I found the next best thing - an audio video with still pics from the show. At least you'll have the song drilled into your head now as it has been mine... and this, my friends, is how the aliens will take over the Earth. Just sayin' :)

Will this all help or hurt the President come November? Well, it depends. There's so much outpouring of support and numbers in the polls don't lie - acceptance of the gays and Marriage Equality is at an all-time high. Same-sex marriage has been legal now for years in many states and those states haven't fallen into the ocean or devoured by demonic snakes - and heterosexual marriage still has a 50% divorce rate. So when the usual suspects start harping on us getting married ruining civilization, we really need to look around and say "really? give me an example" and then watch as they point to the weird weather we've had these past few years as an indication... because remember, this bunch also doesn't want to accept that decades of smog have changed the world for the worse.

Mainly the opponents are scared - much like your 80something mother hates to use email and can't figure out why anyone would bother using Facebook: it's simply a realization that they are being left behind.

In the case of Marriage Equality, it's various people who have a set idea of how the world is supposed to be... and women, the gays, minorities are 'supposed' to act a certain way and know their place.. but sadly for those that believe this, they are simply realizing that it will never be that way again. (thank God!). We must find a new way of living - because the old way - in which our society only works when someone or other is oppressed, must end at long last. We are better than that. At least, we ought to want to be better than that.

But even for some of the gays the idea that Marriage Equality for all in America is close at hand sounds like "lollipops and rainbows" as one Facebook douche posted on my page the other day. Yes, there are 30some states where Marriage Equality has been banned by Constitutional amendment. Pish tosh. Sodomy laws were still on the books not that long ago and they were overturned and abolished.

These amendments will be overturned in time when the will of the people reaches critical mass.

And that time is really not that far off. Not tomorrow. Not next month. Not probably this year. But I'd say soon. Very soon. Sooner than we ever thought. My God, the progress we've made in my lifetime - I never in my wildest dreams thought that I could get married to another man. Granted, since I'm not even dating anyone, a wedding date is unlikely anytime soon.... but it's nice to know that I could! :)

GOOD MORNING PEEPS... If you're in New York City today you know just how amazing it is outside - so if you're reading this indoors, slowly reach over to the 'off' button and press... and then go outside and enjoy this amazing day.

And I know that you have a million and one things to do in town (don't we always?) but there is one big event that you have to check out - and that's the annual party event, the New York Dance Parade where thousands of dancers entertain spectators in vibrant costumes (preview below).

The parade kicks off at E. 21st and Broadway at 1 and runs down University Place and over on St. Mark's Place to the dance party following in Tomkins Square Park at 3.

I've never been but the Will Clark Show DJ Chauncey Dandridge says he lives for this event every year - and after seeing the pictures, I can see why!!